A visit to a resort spa, once
considered an extravagance, is now de rigueur for many guests. In
the past two years alone, revenue from resort and hotel spas has
almost doubled, to $4.5 billion, according to the Lexington,
Ky.-based International Spa Association’s 2004 Spa Industry
Study.
Now that the masses are enjoying spa services, meeting planners
might want to take the next step and add wellness activities to the
meeting agenda, with the goal of easing stress and bolstering
creativity.
Anne McCall, Toronto-based general manager of Fairmont Spas and
Willow Stream Spas, is busy working on adding non-treatment spa
offerings to meeting menus. “It’s one of the things that we think
about as a groups-oriented company,” she says. “I think we can make
a bigger contribution.”
Following is a prototype agenda for the spa meeting of the
future, full of wellness-oriented ideas culled from spa directors
at meeting hotels. Try a few of them out at your next meeting, but
be sure to ease attendees in. Especially when the themes get a
little New Agey, let guests know they’re not obligated to take part
in anything that pushes them past their comfort zone.
Day one:
A taste of the spa
3:00 p.m.: Registration
Set up a spa table at registration to allow attendees to book and
confirm their treatments or to ask questions. The Ritz-Carlton Spa,
Orlando, Grande Lakes, plays a video of various treatments and
offers a complimentary paraffin hand dip for waiting guests.
7:00 p.m.: Welcome reception
Some properties will hold a reception in the spa,
especially after hours. Otherwise, re-create the spa in the
ballroom. Light candles, play soothing music and set up chair
massage and mini facial stations around the room. Want to go even
further? The Centre for Well-Being at the Phoenician in Scottsdale,
Ariz., holds a spa fair with stations for everything from foot
massage to tarot-card reading.
8:00 p.m.: Icebreaker
Theme the opening mixer around fitness. Instructors at the
JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix use balance
balls and weights to demonstrate exercises and stretches.
10:00 p.m.: Bedtime
Encourage an early bedtime. Leave a spa-themed turndown amenity in
each guest room. David Devan, spa director at Sea Spa, the new
offering at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort near San Diego, suggests
setting up herbal tea service or leaving a small container of eye
cream. Other spa goodies might be appreciated as well. (For tips on
selecting items, see “Picking a Spa Product” here.)
GRAND OPENINGS
The lobby of
Aquagene Spa
Today’s new resort spas are increasingly luxe, as designers and facility directors learn what makes guests shiver with delight. The following are among the latest entrants to the market.
Aquagene Spa at Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa
Fort Myers Beach, Fla.
Opened June 2004
(239) 463-6181
www.pinkshell.com Hop on a cool marble slab for a hot stone massage at Pink Shell’s water-themed spa. Or take in an authentic Thai massage in a specially designed room equipped with a massage mat (in lieu of the table) as well as a bamboo tree.
The Bathhouse at Calistoga Ranch
Calistoga, Calif.
Opened May 2004
(800) 942-4220
www.calistogaranch.com Take a treatment indoors or out at this Napa Valley retreat by the owners of Auberge du Soleil. The Bathhouse features an open-air fitness center and more grape-seed treatments than you can shake a vine at.
Bliss49 at the W New York New York City
Opening this month
(212) 755-1200
www.blissworld.com The always-innovative Bliss is coming to select W Hotels, the first at the W New York. Indulge in the spa’s famous Lemon Peel in a spa suite, a combination hotel/treatment room. The women’s locker room has an aromatherapy steam room; the men get cold beer and a Microsoft Xbox.
Hashani Spa at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa
Tucson, Ariz.
Opening December 2004
(520) 792-3500
www.jwmarriottstarrpass.com Get ready for cactus-inspired treatments at JW Marriott’s new 575-room resort in the Sonoran Desert. Perhaps most striking is the three-story Saguaro cactus sculpture that accompanies guests as they ascend the spiral staircase.
Relâche at the Gaylord Opryland
Nashville, Tenn.
Opening summer 2005
(615) 889-1000
www.gaylordopryland.com This gigantic convention hotel will finally have a spa that meets planners’ expectations. Secluded amid Opryland’s gardens, the spa will offer its treatments in an atmosphere of refined Southern hospitality. - J.V.
Day two:
Health and wellness
6:00 a.m.: Fun run/walk
Even this early, you’ll be surprised at the turnout for a
race or power walk. Limit the course to three miles.
7:50 a.m.: Opening stretch
Right before the first session (and/or before the day’s
last meeting), Jim Root, director of the spa at Miraval, Life in
Balance, in Catalina, Ariz., suggests leading attendees in a
10-minute stretching, mindfulness or deep-breathing exercise for
relaxation and focus.
Or offer yoga. Instructors at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort &
Spa in Farmington, Pa., teach yoga poses that can be done in a
chair or on an airplane.
8 a.m.: First session
Adding flair to the meeting room’s aesthetic might energize
attendees. Red Mountain Spa in St. George, Utah, sets up the tables
with bowls of lemon drops, Red Hot Tamales, licorice and small
toys, all to stimulate creativity. Everyone gets a warm towel
infused with scented oils, and in addition to water, they are
offered tea and energy drinks.
Red Mountain Spa also spices up the room with aromatherapy. To
energize a meeting and improve the level of creativity, the spa
uses peppermint, black pepper and sandalwood; to relax and balance
attendees, geranium, sandalwood and lavender do the trick.
While other spas might offer to scent the meeting rooms too,
the concept still is considered a bit far-out, says Devan. “Some
meeting planners, their eyes glaze over,” he notes. “They’re like,
‘Where did you land from?’” Devan concedes some might be wary that
attendees will find the scents offensive or even worse they might
be allergic. If considering diffusing scents, poll attendees in
advance regarding allergies and preferences.
10:00 a.m.: Refreshment break
Break from the traditional pastry-and-bagel schema with
fresh juices, whole-grain snacks, fruit and make-your-own
smoothies. For large groups, serve smoothies in pitchers.
During the break, bring in one chair massage for every 25
guests. Pay attention to the cost, warns Scott Berglund, director
of catering and conference services for the Ritz-Carlton, New
Orleans: Therapists usually charge for an hour of work at a
minimum, even if the break lasts only 15 minutes.
Noon: Spa-menu lunch
At spa resorts, banquet menus often include foods from the spa
restaurant, making it easy to plan wholesome meals. At the JW
Marriott Desert Ridge, the spa gets involved when the occasion
calls for especial salubrity, or if planners want to list calorie
and fat counts on the menu or buffet table.
You don’t have to call it spa food if that will scare off the
meat-and-potatoes crowd. Often the healthful option tastes better,
regardless of what it’s called. Tina Newman, director of sales at
Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Ariz., says you’d never know that
some items on her banquet menus are straight from the spa menu:
pancakes made with cottage cheese, a whole-grain bread salad and a
crème brûlée with just four grams of fat.
Other menu suggestions:
" Salad bars are very popular now at the Loews Coronado Bay.
Include grilled chicken and shrimp in the lineup for protein
devotees.
" Japanese cuisine is healthful and tasty. Attendees will
gobble up Asian-style salads, sushi and teriyaki-grilled meats in
bento boxes. A class in which participants learn to roll sushi also
might be a hit.
" Take time to eat. At Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, in
Lenox, Mass., groups are encouraged to enjoy a leisurely meal in
the dining room whenever possible. If they’re mindful about eating,
they’ll eat slowly and will likely consume less.
" Control portions. Opt for plated meals rather than buffets.
And for dessert, the Miraval spa likes to serve guests rich treats
but keeps the portions tiny.
" Offer exotic teas in addition to coffee after meals.
2:00 p.m.: Wellness seminar
Lift those drooping eyelids during the typical nod-off hour with a
little alternative education. Spas often offer courses on stress
management and balancing family and work life, along with lessons
on healthy cooking. At the Wyndham Peaks Resort & Golden Door
Spa in Telluride, Colo., classes help make working relationships
more effective.
Angela Taverner, spa director at the Nemacolin Woodlands
resort, has talked to groups about Feng Shui for the desk. For a
lighter tone and a more feminine audience the stylist at the
Woodlands Spa will run through the latest fashions, makeup trends
and color palettes.
7:00 p.m.: Cooking class/dinner
The cooking class should send amateur chefs home with new skills
and recipes and teach attendees how to substitute healthy foods for
unhealthy.
At some properties, groups that can’t fit into a kitchen together
can watch a demonstration theater-style, narrated by the chef and a
nutritionist. “Diet seems to be a concern of corporations these
days,” says Laura Orley, sales manager at Canyon Ranch in the
Berkshires.
PICKING A SPA PRODUCT
Spa products can make well-received gifts, but it takes some consideration to get them right. Melinda Minton (right), executive director of The Spa Association, based in Fort Collins, Colo. (
www.thespaassociation.com), offers the following tips.
Buy the basics. Most Americans will find some use for a lotion or bath gel, according to Minton. Refreshing misters, bath salts and bath foam also are good bets.
Look for essential oils. Oils should come from natural sources, such as jasmine, rose and lavender. “If an aromatherapy product has a scent that can’t be from an essential oil, say, watermelon or magnolia, then skip it,” says Minton. To learn about essential oils, click on
www.aromaweb.com.
Try the tried and true. “Buying fragrances really is difficult unless you know the person well,” warns Minton. When buying scented products, “stick with the classics: citrus, lavender, woodsy scents, vanilla and ginger.”
Consider the males. Men like lotion, cleansers and shaving products. Male skin is thicker than female skin, so scrubs should be grainier. Also, fragrances should be woodsy.
Don’t irritate. Masks and scrubs that are made for specific skin types should be for “sensitive combination skin,” says Minton. “It applies to everyone.”
Avoid preservatives. Keep an eye out for methyl and propyl paraben, common additives.
Ask the spa. To get it just right, give a gift certificate for a facial with enough credit left over for some products the therapist recommends. - J.V.
Day three:
Fitness and relaxation
6:30 a.m.: Sunrise yoga
If the weather is perfect and the bug barometer is at its lowest,
schedule a beginners’ yoga class outdoors but really, anywhere with
a view facing east will be fine.
7:00 a.m.: Fitness-themed breakfast
David Devan serves a light breakfast in the fitness center, to
encourage early workouts. Attendees gather on the lawn for muffins
and smoothies while dressed in workout clothes. For those who don’t
feel like exercising at the crack of dawn, set up a separate
reception near the meeting room.
9:00 a.m.: Outdoor meeting
At Canyon Ranch, an instructor leads groups on an educational hike,
followed by an hour-long mountaintop meeting.
1:00 p.m.: Team-building activity
While some groups will want to include a corporate
olympics, others might instead find a less vigorous activity ideal.
“Team building doesn’t have to be some adventure,” says Root of
Miraval. “It could be on a horse or in a tai chi class. You’re
trying to build awareness, to clear the slate of whatever baggage
attendees are bringing to it.”
If team building isn’t a priority, consider an exercise class.
You might ask the spa to find an instructor for Pilates, belly
dancing, salsa dancing, “urban rebounding” (aerobics on a
trampoline), spinning, kickboxing or tai chi.
3 p.m.: Spa appointments
Allow attendees to select a one-hour treatment from the menu, or
offer a standard Swedish massage and the spa’s signature facial, to
simplify matters. A third option is to give them a budget of
perhaps $100 to spend on a treatment.
Also look for a specialty treatment that fits the goals of your
meeting. For example, one treatment at Mii Amo, the spa at
Enchantment Resort, is called Reconnect with Purpose and includes a
consultation on life goals, which could complement some meetings
quite nicely.
Don’t try to cram 500 attendees into a small spa in a few
hours. Spas can hire reserve staff to accommodate large groups, but
it might be more relaxing for treatments to be scheduled at break
times throughout the meeting, so the spa never sees more than a
handful at a time.
A few things to consider from a financial perspective:
" To secure special rates on treatments, Devan suggests booking
at off- times, such as Sunday afternoons and Monday and Tuesday
mornings.
" Spa treatments are subject to attrition, just as hotel rooms
are. Don’t overbook, and pay attention to cancellation policies. If
penalties do accrue, ask to transfer the cost of the overbooked
sessions to gift certificates toward the spa, suggests Marta
Justino, group spa coordinator at the Westin Diplomat Resort &
Spa in Hollywood, Fla.
6 p.m.: Farewell dinner
Bring a group dressed in robes and slippers (over
clothing) into the ballroom for dinner, suggests Angela Taverner.
Light candles and play soft music, but don’t light incense: It’ll
clash with the food.
10 p.m.: Bedtime
Leave a gift in the room on the final night. Look to the
spa’s gift shop for ideas: perhaps candles, aromatherapy massage
oils, mini-spa kits or a robe, baseball cap or pair of
slippers.